Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

By Nathan H. Caz

E-mail: nhac27@hotmail.com

Blog: monoergon.wordpress.com

Partial rapture and dispensational punishment

The partial rapture theory, more recently, was taught by the successor of Watchman
Nee,

namely,

Witness

Lee.

The

official

website

of

Watchman

Nee

(http://www.watchmannee.org/scriptural-teachings.html) presents some fundamental points

that their theology teaches. Some of these points are indispensable to the theological
foundation of partial rapture and, also, of a sub-doctrine of partial rapture known by different
designations that vary through space and time: Millennial Exclusion, Millennium Exclusion,
Kingdom Exclusion and, the preferred choice of Witness Lee, Dispensational Punishment. The
doctrine of dispensational punishment is not taught by all partial rapture adherents, but by
some such as Witness Lee and his ministry called Living Stream Ministry whose official
website (http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooks.cfm) offers a search field that may be
utilized to identify his works that teach the doctrine of dispensational punishment. Such
doctrines teaches that the elect (therefore saved and without the possibility of losing salvation)
who do not watch against sin, who live in a carnal manner without repenting and, therefore,
who are not conquerors/overcoming 1 against sin in their own lives, will be cast into the outer
darkness,2 for a period of one-thousand (1,000) literal years, during the Millennial Kingdom of
Christ that, according to them, will begin after the end of the Great Tribulation, with the
objective of being disciplined (or punished) by God. The term outer darkness is interpreted as
being hades, that is, hell. Therefore, such carnal elect will be thrown into hell, not to be saved,
for they arrive there already saved and without the possibility of losing salvation, but to be
disciplined 3 by God in order to, at the end of the one-thousand literal years of discipline in hell,
go to heaven. Thus, such discipline is understood to be the final process of sanctification of
God upon the lives of His elected Christians who were carnal.

The basis that only those who will be raptured, before the Great Tribulation, will be conquering Christians, is
based, inter alia, in Revelation 2:26-28.
2
It is based, inter alia, in Matthew 8:12, 22:13 and 25:30.
3
Discipline consists, among other things, in stripes/scourging and being burned by the fire of hell. One of the
passages utilized to support such doctrine is Luke 12:47-48.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

Partial rapture was analyzed by Dr. Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost and Charles Ryrie,
among others. Thus, this article aims to continue their analysis and to focus on dispensational
punishment.
There is a small variation of interpretation on the matter of salvation by part of the partial
rapture believers (partial rapturists), that is, the great majority believes in the eternal security of
their salvation, while rarely one or another believe that a Christian may lose their salvation.
This observation was presented here because, according to the analysis of Walvoord and J.
Dwight Pentecost on partial rapture, they concluded that partial rapturists do not believe that a
Christian may lose their salvation, while according to Charles Ryrie, partial rapturists believe
that a Christian may lose their salvation. If Ryrie had read any literature that says so, certainly
it is an exception, for the majority and main proponents of partial rapture believe in the eternal
security of salvation, including Watchmann Nee and Witness Lee.
In this article, I will discuss about some theological points that were not discussed or did
not received enough attention by part of Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost and Charles Ryrie;
however, such theological points are taught by partial rapturists and, also, by those that teach
dispensational punishment (Millennial Exclusion/Millennium Exclusion/Kingdom Exclusion).
Some

of

these

theological

points

may

be

found

in

http://www.watchmannee.org/scriptural-teachings.html that, among other points, teach that

The kingdom of God includes the entire reign of God from eternity in the past to eternity in the
future, the kingdom of the heavens is a smaller sphere within the kingdom of God,
participation [in the kingdom of the heavens] is a reward for living life under the heavenly rule
[means to live in holiness] to Gods elect that conquered/overcame sin in their own lives, and
the

kingdom

of

heaven

is

reward

to

the

overcoming

believers.4

The

overcoming/conquering Christians, defined by Witness Lee, among others, are Gods elect
who overcame/conquered sin in their own lives, repented of living in a carnal way, watched
and waited for the pre-Great Tribulation rapture. With such theological foundation, adherents of
partial rapture and dispensational punishment are able to teach that he kingdom of the
heavens will occur during the millennial reign of Christ and that carnal Christians (who are not

Available at: <http://www.watchmannee.org/scriptural-teachings.html>. Access on: March 2015.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

overcomers against sin in their own lives, according to Witness Lees definition) will not enter
the kingdom of the heavens, but instead, will be cast into outer darkness (hell/hades) during
all one-thousand years of Christs millennial kingdom that, according to him, will begin after the
Great Tribulation. In other words, both kingdom of the heavens and millennial reign/kingdom
of Christ expressions, according to the partial rapture position, becomes synonymous.
Therefore, while overcoming Christians will be reigning with Christ for one-thousand years,
carnal Christians will be simultaneously disciplined in hell.

Kingdom of God/of Heaven

The following commentaries explain why the New Testament does not distinguish
between the kingdom of God and kingdom of the heavens expressions:
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven 5
One of the striking facts about Matthews Gospel is that it consistently uses the term kingdom of
heaven to describe the subject of Jesus teaching. The only exceptions to this are in Matthew
12:28; 19:24; 21:31 and 21:43, where we find the term kingdom of God, which is used
throughout Mark and Luke.
On the basis of this distinction, some interpreters have thought they could differentiate two quite
separate phases in Jesus teaching. But, in fact, there can be no doubt that the two terms refer to
the same thing. This can be demonstrated quite easily by comparing the same statements in
Matthew and in the other two synoptic gospels. For example, whereas Mark summarizes Jesus
message as the kingdom of God is at hand; repent (Mark 1:15), Matthew has, Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). The two statements appear in exactly the same
context (the beginning of Jesus teaching ministry), and it is obvious that they are different
versions of the same saying. There are many other examples of the same thing.
The most obvious explanation of this variety of expression is the fact that Matthew was writing for
Jewish readers, whereas Mark and Luke were both writing for a predominantly non-Jewish
readership. The Jewish tradition had always avoided direct use of the name of God in case people
should unwittingly find themselves breaking the commandment, You shall not take the name of
the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7). To minimize the possibilities of this happening, they
often used other terms instead, and heaven was a favourite substitute for God. Matthew,
therefore, speaks of the kingdom of heaven in order to avoid offence to his readers. Gentiles,
however, had no such reservations, and to them a term like kingdom of heaven would have been

John William Drane, Introducing the New Testament, Completely rev. and updated. (Oxford: Lion Publishing plc,

2000). p. 115.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

unnecessarily complicated, if not altogether meaningless, so Mark and Luke use the term
kingdom of God instead.
KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 6 The kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God
is the central theme of Jesus preaching, according to the Synoptic Gospels. While Matthew, who
addresses himself to the Jews, speaks for the most part of the kingdom of heaven, Mark and
Luke speak of the kingdom of God, which has the same meaning as the kingdom of heaven, but
was more intelligible to non-Jews. The use of kingdom of heaven in Matthew is certainly due to
the tendency in Judaism to avoid the direct use of the name of God. In any case no distinction in
sense is to be assumed between the two expressions (cf., e.g., Mt. 5:3 with Lk. 6:20).
[] however, a close comparison of the two terms kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven,
as they are used in all four Gospels, will show that they have the same meaning. For instance, in
the Beatitudes, Matthews gospel says that the poor will inherit the kingdom of heaven, while in
Lukes gospel they will inherit the kingdom of God (Mt. 5:3; Lk. 6:20); in Matthew, the disciples
are sent forth to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand; while in Luke, they announce that
the kingdom of God is at hand (Mt. 10:6, 7; Lk. 9:2). (See also Mt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15.) In the very
context where Jesus refers to the parables (including that of the Tares and Wheat) as teaching the
mysteries of the kingdom, Matthews gospel refers to them as mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven (13:11), while in Marks gospel (4:11) they are mysteries of the kingdom of God. In one
passage in Matthew, Jesus uses both terms in the same figure of speech with exactly the same
meaning (Mt. 19:23, 24); in one sentence, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven; in the next, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for the rich
man to enter the kingdom of God. It is obvious from these comparisons that the terms kingdom
of heaven and kingdom of God were completely interchangeable in usage. 7
(Matthews Gospel frequently uses the term Kingdom of Heaven, while Mark and Luke always
use Kingdom of God. Heaven in these instances is a circumlocutiona way of referring to
God without using his name, which Jews and Jewish Christians believed too holy to pronounce or
even write. Thus, Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are identical in meaning. We do
not know which expression Jesus himself may have used.) 8
I. Terminology9
According to all three Synoptics, the kingdom of God was the central theme of the preaching and
teaching of Jesus. The phrase occurs fourteen times in Mark, thirty-two times in Luke, but only
four times in Matthew (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43). In its place, Matthew substitutes the kingdom of
heaven (lit the kingdom of the heavens, Gk h basilea tn ourann). Although dispensational
theology has customarily made a theological distinction between these two terms, the simple fact
is that they are quite interchangeable (cf. Mt. 19:23 with v 24; Mk. 10:23). In Jewish rabbinic
6

D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.:
InterVarsity Press, 1996). p. 647.
7
Guy P. Duffield and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, Foundations of Pentecostal Theology (Los Angeles, Calif.:
L.I.F.E. Bible College, 1983). p. 446.
8
Paul J. Achtemeier, Publishers Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper's Bible Dictionary, 1st
ed. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985). p. 528.
9
Bromiley, Geoffrey W.: The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988; 2002,
S. 3:24

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

literature, the common phrase is the kingdom of the heavens (Dalman, pp. 91ff). In Jewish
idiom, heaven or some similar term was often used in place of the holy name (see Lk. 15:18;
Mk. 14:61).
Kingdom of God (Heaven). 10
The NT reports two different forms of the expression: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of
the heavens. The latter is found only in Matthew; but Matthew also has the kingdom of God
four times (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43). The kingdom of the heavens is a Semitic phrase that would
be meaningful to Jews but would clash on the Greek ear. The Jews, out of reverence for God,
avoided uttering the divine name, and contemporary literature gives examples of substituting the
word heaven for God (1 Mc 3:18, 50; 4:10; see Lk 15:18). The plural, heavens, is used
because the corresponding Semitic word is in the plural.
In the Synoptic Gospels
[] A rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mk 10:17). The context makes
it clear that he was asking about eschatological lifethe life of the resurrection (Dn 12:2). Jesus
speaks of the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God. (The parallel passage in Matthew has both
kingdom of God and kingdom of the heaven [19:23, 24], proving that they are interchangeable
terms.) []

Partial rapture and resurrection, judgment and rewards

Furthermore, concerning the belief that the kingdom of the heavens (millennial
reign/kingdom of Christ) is a reward to the overcoming believers, it is worth conferring Dr.
Walvoords treatment in his article entitled Premillennialism and the Tribulation Part V:
Partial Rapture Theory.11 Besides his analysis and, considering that the kingdom of God and
the kingdom of the heavens have the same meaning (as we have seen earlier), the following
commentary presents the analysis of Henry Clarence Thiessen that addresses the topics of
partial rapture, partial resurrection, judgment and rewards:
[]
The question immediately arises, will all the saved be taken at the rapture? To this we may reply
that the nature of the church would seem to require that everyone who belongs to it should be
taken. The church is a temple (1 Cor. 3:16f.; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20f.; 1 Pet. 2:5). Will any part of
the building in which the Spirit dwells be left behind? Further, the church is Christs bride (2 Cor.
11:2; Eph. 5:24, 32; Rev. 19:6-9). Will any part of his bride be left behind? It is also Christs body
10

LADD, George E.; Kingdom of God (Heaven). In: Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of
the Bible (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1988). p. 12691278.
11
Available at: <https://bible.org/seriespage/premillennialism-and-tribulation-%E2%80%94-part-v-partial-rapturetheory>. Access on: March 2015.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

(1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22f.; Col. 1:18, 24; 2:19). Surely, he will not leave a part of his body
behind. That all the living believers will be taken at the rapture is no more improbable than that all
those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised at that time. Some would maintain on the
basis of Phil. 3:11, In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, that Paul taught a
partial resurrection; however, this is not an expression of doubt, but of humility and hope. In
enumerating the order of the resurrection, Paul says, Christ the first fruits, after that those who are
Christs at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and
Father (1 Cor. 15:23f.). Note that those who are Christs are all grouped together as being
raised at the same time; there is no division among them.
[]
B. To JUDGE AND REWARD
Both of these are associated with the return of Christ.
1. The believers judgment. Christ will come to judge the works of believers and to bestow the
rewards. The believer will not be judged with regard to his sins (John 5:24), since he was judged
for them in the person and cross of Christ (Isa. 53:5f.; 2 Cor. 5:21), and he will not again be called
to account for them at the return of Christ. During this life, however, he is chastened for the sins
he commits that he may not be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 5:5; 11:32; Heb. 12:7; cf. 2
Sam. 7:14f.; 12:13f.). But when Christ returns, the believer will be judged as to the use he has
made of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), the pounds (Luke 19:11-27), and the opportunities (Matt.
20:1-16) that have been entrusted to him. Salvation is a free gift of God (John 4:10; 10:28; Rom.
6:23). When James says that we are saved by works (James 2:24) he means by a faith that
produces works (2:22, 26). Paul indicates that while we are saved by grace, we are yet saved unto
good works (Eph. 2:8-10). In other words, the Lord has given his people an opportunity to lay up
treasures in heaven, now that they are saved (Matt. 6:20), so that the entrance into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied (2 Pet. 1:11). It is with
regard to these works that the believer will be judged when Christ returns. Paul writes, For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his
deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5: 10). He also
writes, But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother
with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Rom. 14:10). And he
continues, So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God (v. 12). When he comes,
the fire will test our works; and if they are of wood, hay, or straw, they will be consumed, yet we
will be saved so as by fire; if of gold, silver, or precious stone, we will receive a reward (1 Cor.
3:11-15). No doubt many will belong to the group that will be saved, but have little reward; others
will have much. We are challenged to abide in Christ so that when he appears we will not be
ashamed at his coming (1 John 2:28). Paul writes, For who is our hope or joy or crown of
exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? (1 Thess. 2: 19).
2. The believers reward. The Lord will keep his word as definitely as in the manner of salvation.
Several items must be noted as they relate to the reward.
(1) First, what is the basis of the reward? Various things in the Scriptures are said to lead to a
reward. As a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1-5), the believer is to render an account of
his stewardship. A definite reward is promised for those who are faithful (1 Cor. 4:2) in the use of
the opportunities, the talents, and the pounds entrusted to them (Matt. 20: l-16; 25: 14-30; Luke

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

19: 11-27). As trustees of their material possessions, they will be rewarded according to the way in
which they have used their possessions (Matt. 6: 20 Gal. 6: 7). He that sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly (2 Cor. 9: 6). Further, as one responsible for the souls of others, the believer will be
rewarded according as he has led many to righteousness. The angel said to Daniel, And those who
have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead
the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:3). In similar manner Paul
writes, For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our
Lord Jesus at His coming? (1 Thess. 2:19). As those who live in a needy world, we may do good
to all men and reap a reward for so doing (Gal. 6:10). Hospitality will be rewarded (Matt. 10:4042), as will the care of the sick and the persecuted (Matt. 25:35-40). Even a cup of cold water will
not remain unnoticed in that day (Matt. 10:42). This is especially true of kindnesses done to the
Jewish people. And finally, as sufferers in an evil world, Christians will be rewarded for
endurance. Thus, we read that when they revile us, persecute us, say all manner of evil against us
falsely, our reward will be great in heaven (Matt.5:11f.; Luke 6:22f.). If we suffer, we shall reign
with him (2 Tim. 2:12; cf. Rom. 8:17). As James promises, Blessed is a man who perseveres
under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has
promised to those who love him (James 1: 12).
(2) What is the time of the reward? It is when he comes that the rewards will be given (Matt.
16:27; Rom. 2:5-10; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 11:18; 22:12). In view of this, it is not altogether correct to
say of a believer when he dies, that he has gone to his reward. Paul declared that it would be in
that day when Christ appears that he would receive his reward, and not at death. Those who have
fallen asleep in Jesus are now in his personal presence, but they still look forward to the day of
reckoning and recompense.
(3) What is the nature of the reward? The Scriptures represent the rewards to be bestowed under
the figure of a crown or trophy. We are told that it will be an imperishable wreath (1 Cor. 9:25),
and we are warned against losing our crown (Rev. 3:11). Souls won to the Lord are going to be our
crown of exultation (1 Thess. 2:19). Besides these, there are the crown of righteousness (2 Tim.
4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10), and the crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4). Whatever may
be meant by the figure, we may be sure that it represents a glorious and eternal honor in the
presence of the Lord. As a part of the reward there is also the promise of a place with Christ in his
throne (Luke 19:11-27; 2 Tim. 2:11f.; Rev. 3:21).

As you may see, the New Testament neither teaches a partial rapture nor a partial
resurrection; it also does not teach that overcoming Christians will go to their rewards, which
partial rapturists believe to be the kingdom of the heavens (millennial reign/kingdom of Christ).
The New Testament never affirms that the reward is the rapture, as was already discussed by
Walvoord, Pentecost, Ryrie and Thiessen; the New Testament defines rewards as crowns and
trophies. Thiessen also briefly discussed the judgment of Christians; such topic of judgment
will be further discussed later on.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

Moreover, partial rapturists further insist that the Revelation 2:11 passage, among other
verses12, prove that partial rapture is a reward. Such verse says that: He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers [or overcomes] will not
be hurt by the second death. The reasoning of partial rapturists is that the
overcoming/conquering Christian, defined by them as those who do not live in a carnal way
and that are watching and waiting for the pre-Great Tribulation rapture, will be raptured while
non-conquering/non-overcoming Christians will be cast into hell for one-thousand literal years
during the millennial reign/kingdom of Christ. But, how does the Bible define one who
conquers [overcomes], in other words, the conquering/overcoming Christians? 1 John 5:4-5
says: 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except
the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?. Partial rapturists change the meaning
that qualifies the concept of overcoming the world, basing it on works. Differently, John is very
clear that everyone who has been born of God, everyone who placed their faith in Christ and
believed that Jesus is the Son of God, are those who overcome/conquer the world. Everyone
who is born of God overcomes the world; John does NOT say everyone who watches, are
matured and await for the pre-Great Tribulation rapture are overcomers/conquerors.
Therefore, Revelation 2:11 should not be utilized to sustain the erroneous interpretation that
there will be a rapture of only overcoming Christians, for everyone who is born of God are
overcomers/conquerors. A person that considers themselves to be a Christian living in sin
without repenting until the end of his/her life, was never saved (cf. 1 John 2:19). Besides that,
some partial rapturists utilize Revelation 2:11 to teach the opposite of it, that is, that those who
are not overcomers/conquerors (defined according to them, and not according to Scriptures)
will be cast into hell for one-thousand literal years to be disciplined (punished) by God. The
next paragraphs will deal with dispensational punishment.

Dispensational punishment/Kingdom Exclusion/Millennial or Millennium Exclusion

Considering the topics discussed until now, that is, that the kingdom of God and
kingdom of the heavens expressions are synonymous, that there is no partial rapture or
12

Cf. Revelation 2:26

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

resurrection, that the kingdom of the heavens (or millennial reign/kingdom of Christ) is not a
reward, and that everyone who is born of God overcome the world, the following is an analysis
on dispensational punishment (Kingdom Exclusion/Millennial or Millennium Exclusion) as
taught by Witness Lee, although it is taught by others13.
Witness Lee affirms that The Bible reveals that we are saved for eternity, but that after
we are saved, we need to overcome every sinful thing. If not, we shall be disciplined,
punished. If you do not repent and confess your sin, but stay in adultery, in the next age you
will be put into the fire and burned, not for eternal perdition, but as a dispensational
punishment. 14,15 Among several verses that are utilized to sustain such doctrine, I do not plan
to exhaustively discuss all of them, but to introduce the basic argument of such doctrine
through some verses that are often utilized: Matthew 8:12, 22:13 and 25:30. Some partial
rapturists believe that the subjects (sons of the kingdom and servant/slave) in these
passages are saved, however, carnal and, therefore, may not enter the millennial
reign/kingdom of Christ and, consequently, will be cast into hell (outer darkness) for onethousand literal years to be disciplined (punished) by God.
The following are commentaries on such passages:
[Matthew 8:11-12]
Jesus went on to say, many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall
be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. Those who had less spiritual advantage and less opportunity to know Gods truth-the
Gentiles from east and west-would show greater response to the gospel than Gods own chosen
people, who considered themselves to be the sons of the kingdom simply by virtue of racial
descent.
The gospel came through Abrahams seed, as Matthew has already attested through Jesus
genealogy. But the benefit of the gospel, which is salvation, is appropriated by faith, not by
13

cf.: NEE, Watchman. The Gospel Of God, vol. 3 (California: Living Stream Ministry, 1990), p. 460-461, and
FAUST, J.D. The rod, will God spare it?: an exhaustive study of temporary punishment.
14
LEE, Witness. Life-study of Matthew. Available at: <http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooks.cfm>.
Access on: March 2015. One must search for the dispensational punishment expression, which will appear in
several of his books. There is no direct link to any of his works, for it is a security system in his ministrys website.
15
Witness Lee says that, if a person (already saved) does not repent of adultery, he/she will go to hell for onethousand years. What if a person sins by lying, or sinning in any other manner, and dies without repenting, will
such person go to hell for one-thousand years? In other words, which and how many non-confessed sins to God
and non-renounced sins are sufficient to qualify a person to be cast into hell for one-thousand years?

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

genealogical descent. The Jews played an integral part in Gods bringing the Messiah and His
gospel, and they are yet destined to play an important role in the end times. It was integral to
Gods plan of salvation that His own Son be born, live, and die as a Jew. But the fact that
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-or any other Jew-will be in the kingdom of heaven will not be
because of their Jewishness but because of their saving faith.
Jesus words to those Capernaum Jews was startling in the extreme. What He said utterly
contradicted everything taught by their rabbis. The twenty-ninth chapter of the apocryphal book of
Second Baruch pictures what Jews believed would be the great heavenly feast at which all Jews
were going to sit down and eat behemoth, the elephant, and leviathan, the giant sea monster, or
whale-symbolic of an unlimited amount of food. In the eyes of many Jews, one of the most
significant and appealing things about the feast was that it would be totally free of Gentiles.
But at that meal, Jesus said, many Gentiles would be present and many Jews absent. The presumed
sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. To the Jews God had given the unique promises and privileges of
His kingdom, but because they rejected the King when He came to them, they disqualified
themselves from Gods blessing of light and destined themselves for outer darkness, where,
instead of feasting throughout eternity, they would suffer forever in the horror of weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Jewish tradition taught that sinners-a term synonymous with Gentiles in their
thinking-would spend eternity in the outer darkness of gehenna. Jesus concurred with them about
the destiny of condemned sinners (see also Matt. 22:13; 24:51), but He declared them totally
wrong about the identity of those condemned sinners.
Hell is a place both of darkness and of fire, a combination not found in our present world. Part of
the supernatural quality of hell is that it will be a place of fire, pain, and torment that will continue
for all eternity in total darkness.
Being a physical descendant of Abraham was a great privilege and advantage (Rom. 3:12), but in
spite of what most Jews believed, it did not guarantee salvation. It is the children of Abrahams
spiritual faith, not the children of his physical body, whom God adopts as His own children (Rom.
8:1417; Gal. 3:79, 2629; cf. Rom. 4:11, 16). Those who reject Christ, even though they are
physical descendants of Abraham, will have no place at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. By their rejection of the Son of God-especially in light of the
irrefutable evidence of His miracles-they prove they are really sons of Satan (John 8:4244).
Because they are false sons of the kingdom, they annul the divine promise, forfeit the divine
blessing, and are forever barred from the divine kingdom. That was the substance of Jesus brief
but sobering message to the unbelieving Jews just before He pronounced the healing of the
centurions slave. 16
[Matthew 22:13]
The proper wedding garment of a true believer is God-imputed righteousness, without which no
one can enter or live in the kingdom. Unless a persons righteousness exceeds the hypocritical
self-righteousness that typified the scribes and Pharisees, he shall not enter the kingdom of

16

MacArthur, John: Matthew. Chicago: Moody Press, 1989, S. 15

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

heaven (Matt. 5:20). The only acceptable wedding garment is the genuine sanctification without
which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
Many of Jesus Jewish hearers that day would have recalled the beautiful passage from Isaiah
which declares, I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has
clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness (Isa.
61:10). Sincere Jews knew that, contrary to the man-made, legalistic traditions of their rabbis, God
not only requires inner righteousness of men but He also offers it as a gift.
Gods eyes, of course, can see into mens hearts to know whether their righteousness is of their
own making or His granting. But even outwardly a true believers life will evidence right living
and reflect right thinking. The Lord not only imputes but imparts righteousness to His children.
Only He can see the internal righteousness that He imputes, but everyone can see the external
righteousness that He imparts. A child of God is characterized by a holy life. Peter made that fact
clear when he described salvation as obedience to the truth which has Purified your souls (1
Pet. 1:22).
Just before Jesus declared that prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles in His
name may be false evidence of salvation, He had said that true evidence of salvation will always
be apparent. A persons spiritual condition will be manifested in the fruit of his living. Grapes are
not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? He had asked rhetorically Even
so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit (Matt. 7:1617, 2123). A
holy, godly life cannot help bearing righteous fruit, because it is the natural outgrowth of the work
of the Spirit within (Gal. 5:2223).
Jesus surely would have been pleased had one of His hearers interrupted and asked, How can I be
clothed in the proper garment? What can I do to keep from being cast into the outer darkness like
that man? He no doubt would have said to that person as He had said many times before in
various ways, Come to Me, that you may have life (John 5:40). As Paul explained to the
Corinthians, God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). That is the wedding garment that God demands and
His Son provides.
Jesus did not ask the Jewish leaders to comment on this parable as He had done with the previous
two, where in each case they condemned themselves by their answers (21:3132, 4045). He knew
they would not be trapped again, because it was now obvious that the whole thrust of the parables
was to condemn them. Their only purpose, now heating up to a fury, was to trap and condemn
Him to death (22:15; cf. 21:46). 17
[Matthew 25:30]
[]
The third slave was not simply unfaithful but faithless. A true Christian who wastes his abilities,
spiritual gifts, and opportunities will have his work burned up, [and] he shall suffer loss; but he
himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:15). The person represented by this slave,
however, has no faith at all and therefore no saving relationship to God. No matter how much he
17

MacArthur, John: Matthew. Chicago : Moody Press, 1989, S. 315

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

may appear to have been blessed by God and to have served Him, one day he will hear from the
Lords own lips the devastating words, l never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness (Matt. 7:23).
The third slave was utterly worthless, and his fate was to be cast out into the outer darkness;
in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Just like the man who tried to crash
the kings wedding feast without the proper garment (Matt. 22:1113), this unproductive,
counterfeit servant was destined for destruction.
Outer darkness is a common New Testament description of hell. God is light, John declared,
and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Light signifies Gods presence, and darkness
signifies his absence. Hell not only is eternal darkness but eternal torment. In that place there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, signifying the unrelieved agony of separated from Gods
presence and goodness. 18
The final state of the wicked is described under the figures of eternal fire (Mat. 25:41); the pit of
the abyss (Rev. 9:2, 11); outer darkness (Mat. 8:12); torment (Rev. 14:10, 11); eternal punishment
(Mat. 25:46); wrath of God (Rom. 2:5); second death (Rev. 21:8); eternal destruction from the face
of the Lord (2 Thess. 1:9); eternal sin, (Mark 3:29). 19

As you may see on such passages, it is a fallacy to affirm that the sons of the kingdom
and the servant/slave are saved Christians, however, carnal and, therefore, would be cast into
hell for one-thousand literal years to be disciplined or punished by God. The outer darkness,
as well as other similar designations, were created by God for unbelievers, that is, the nonsaved. Furthermore, the sons of the kingdom expression does not refer to the church of
Christ nor to a saved person and the servants/slaves are not saved carnal Christians.

Judgment seat of Christ/God (great white throne), judgment, and Discipline of God
Other verses utilized to sustain dispensational punishment are 1 Corinthians 3:15 and
Luke 12:46-48. 1 Cor. 3:15 says If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he
himself will be saved, but only as through fire. That which burns is the work, not the person.
The person that has their works burned suffers the loss of not receiving rewards. The verse
does not say that the person that is not raptured in the pre-Great Tribulation rapture group will
go to hell, during the millennial reign/kingdom of Christ, to be burned for one-thousand literal
18

MacArthur, John: Matthew. Chicago : Moody Press, 1989, S. 109

Augustus Hopkins Strong, Systematic Theology (Bellingham, Wa.: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004). p.
1033.

19

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

years to be disciplined or punished and, after one-thousand years, go to heaven. The verse
says that such person will be saved only as through fire [the Brazilian Portuguese Bible
versions says like or as through fire]. There is no literal fire in hell that will burn, for onethousand years, a saved Christian, as dispensational punishment adherents would like to
believe as if the verse stated that he himself will be saved through fire, omitting only as or
like.
The judgment seat of Christ/God (2 Cor. 5:10) is the same as the great white throne
(Rev. 20:11) and that, therefore, the non-saved people will also be judged. Read the following
commentary:
The great white throne judgment flows naturally from the millennial period as the necessary
response to the unmasking of terrible evil. Yet the white throne does not judge only the sinners, for
the saints must face God as well and be judged according to their deeds (20:12). The difference
is that their final destiny is life; and while they will be faced with all they have done, whether good
or bad (1 Cor. 3:1215; 2 Cor. 5:10), the final results will be forgiveness and reward. For the
sinners (Rev. 20:1315), the result is tragically and completely the opposite. They too will be
judged according to their deeds, but their destiny is the lake of fire, because they have rejected
Gods call and their names are not recorded in the book of life. Unbelievers reading this must
realize the significance of rejection. They will follow Death and Hades into the lake of fire and
share the eternal torment of the false trinity (14:1011; 20:10). 20

In addition, Luke 12:46-48 says: 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when
he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put
him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or
act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and
did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given,
of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the
more. The parallel text in Matthew 24:48 and 51 establishes that such servant, in Lk 12:46-48,
is evil/wicked and hypocrite and unfaithful, in other words, he is not a servant of God that was
saved by Jesus. Thus, the degrees of punishment in hell will be to the hypocrites, that is, the
false servants that were never saved. Moreover, as Wiersbe states: The phrases cut him in
two (v. 46) and beaten (vv. 4748) do not suggest that there will be physical discipline at the
20

Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Baker Academic, 2002). p. 724725.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

Judgment Seat of Christ, for we shall have glorified bodies.21 How can glorified bodies be
disciplined by God through stripes and hells fire? Additionally, Samuel Hoyt explains that:
Scripture teaches that for the believer Gods justice has already been fully and forever
satisfied at the Cross in relation to the believers sins. If God were to punish the believer
judicially for his sins for which Christ has already rendered payment, He would be requiring two
payments for sin and would therefore be unjust. Such a concept (punishment for sin)
erroneously disparages the all-sufficiency of Christs death on the cross.22 In relation to this
last quotation, see Hb 8:12, 10:14, 17-18; Rm 5:1, 19, 8:1; Col. 2:10; Is 38:17, 44:22; Psalm
103:12; Mic 7:19, John 5:24 e 1 Cor. 11:28ff.
Concerning the discipline of God in the lives of His children, Hebrews 12:6-8 says: 6
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. 7 It is for
discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his
father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Observe that each one of Gods sons/children
(the one he loves, every son whom he receives, all have participated) not just some
are disciplined by the Lord. In other words, all sons/children of God are disciplined. Since that
all are disciplined, such discipline is done, by God, here on earth.23 The Hebrews passage
never extends Gods discipline, upon His children, to hell. Furthermore, Hebrews 12:11 says
that Gods discipline yields peaceful fruit of righteousness. Thus, if it yields fruit, Gods
discipline cannot be in hell, but on earth, for it is on earth that those who are saved yield fruits
(cf. 2 Cor. 9:10), instead of yielding fruits in hell. Such fruits have characteristics that reflect
Gods peace and righteousness. Jesus said that A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can
a diseased tree bear good fruit (Matt 7:18). This means that the tree must be alive and
planted on earth, for, it is on earth, instead of in hell, that it yields good or bad fruits, and it is by
their fruits, on earth, that we may recognize the tree (Matt 7:20). Moreover, Jesus said You
did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and
that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to
21

Wiersbe, Warren W.: Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1997,
c1992, S. 178
22
KEATHLEY III, J. Hampton. The doctrine of rewards: the judgment seat (Bema) of Christ. Available at:
<https://bible.org/article/doctrine-rewards-judgment-seat-bema-christ#P89_18460>. Access on: 18 March 2015.
23
VENTILATO, James. The Rod: loving familial discipline or condemnatory judgment in hell?. July 2003.
Available at: <http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/doctrine/faustfd.htm>. Access on: 22 March 2015.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

you (John 15:16). Therefore, Jesus teaches that the fruits we must yield, as His disciples, will
take place in out pilgrimage through this life, instead of in hell, and that these fruits should
abide, that is, should be concrete and genuine fruits instead of hypocrite and chaffy fruits that
will be burned in the judgment seat of Christ (synonym of great white throne); these fruits must
be in keeping with repentance (Lk 3:8). After we yield fruits that abide, we may ask the
Father, in the name of Jesus, for whatever so that He may give it to you. Therefore, if Gods
discipline (or punishment) upon His children was in hell, logically it would be in hell that carnal
Christians would ask the Father for whatever in the name of Jesus.
Therefore, the Bible does not teach a dispensational punishment or divine discipline
after life in this planet Earth. Gods discipline in the lives of all His children, that is, each one of
His children (Hb 12:6-8 the one he loves, every son whom he receives, all have
participated) will make them yield fruits of justice while they ate still physically alive on earth,
instead of in hell. God does not distinguish His discipline on His spiritual and carnal children,
for all (carnal or not) of His children are disciplined on earth. In the judgment seat of Christ
(great white throne), there will be rewards to those that are saved and degrees of punishment
to those that are not saved.

Hades/abyss, Abrahams bosom/Paradise/Third heaven and intermediate state

Other verses are utilized by partial rapturists and/or dispensational punishment
adherents to teach that there are compartments in hell or that, at least, Abrahams bosom is
located in front of hells compartment called hades, where there is torment, and that both
compartments are separated by an abyss. Thus, Luke 16:22-31 is quoted. Furthermore, it is
taught that the penitent thief went to paradise that is considered, by partial rapturists and/or
dispensational punishment adherents, to be Abrahams bosom.
Luke 16:23, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far
off and Lazarus at his side. It must be observed that the place of torment is hades and that
this passage does not affirm that Abrahams bosom is in front of hades. The idea, not
defended in this article, that Abrahams bosom is located in hell/hades, comes from Luke 16:26
that says: And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there
to us. The following text is a commentary aimed at clarifying the relation between hades,
abyss, Abrahams bosom, Paradise and third heaven:

[] From Christs account of the last judgment, no one would infer that it takes place in an
underworld. In both the Old and New Testaments, the good dwell with God, and Gods dwelling
place is never represented as below, but on high. Paradise is the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:1, 4),
and none of the heavens are in the underworld. Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2
Kings 2:11). []
[] The locating of paradise in hades is opposed by Tertullian (Against Marcion 4.34) in the
following terms: Hades (inferi) is one thing, in my opinion, and Abrahams bosom is another.
Christ, in the parable of Dives, teaches that a great deep is interposed between the two regions.
Neither could the rich man have lifted up his eyes, and that too afar off, unless it had been to
places above him and very far above him, by reason of the immense distance between that height
and that depth. Similarly, Chrysostom in his Homilies on Dives and Lazarus, as quoted by
Ussher, asks and answers: Why did not Lazarus see the rich man, as well as the rich man is said
to see Lazarus? Because he that is in the light does not see him who stands in the dark; but he that
is in the dark sees him that is in the light. Augustine in his exposition of Ps. 6 calls attention to
the fact that Dives looked up, to see Lazarus. Again, he says, in his letter to Euodius, It is not to
be believed that the bosom of Abraham is a part of hades (aliqua pars inferorum). [] To the
same effect says Gregory of Nyssa (In pascha): This should be investigated by the studious,
namely, how, at one and the same time, Christ could be in these three places: in the heart of the
earth, in paradise with the thief, and in the hand of the Father. For no one will say that paradise is
in the places under the earth (en hypochthoniois), or the places under the earth in paradise; or that
those infernal places (ta hypochthonia) are called the hand of the Father. []
These patristic statements respecting the supernal locality of paradise agree with Scripture: The
way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from sheol beneath (Prov. 15:24). When
Samuel is represented as coming up from the earth (1 Sam. 28:720), it is because the body
reanimated rises from the grave. [] Father, I will that they also whom you have given me be
with me where I am, that they may see my glory (John 17:24); those which sleep in Jesus, God
will bring with him [down from paradise, not up from hades] (2 Thess. 4:14). At the second
advent, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air (1 Thess. 4:17). Stephen looked up into heaven and saw Jesus standing on the right hand of
God (Acts 7:55). Christ said to the Pharisees, You are from beneath, I am from above (John
8:23). Satan and his angels are cast down to Tartarus (2 Pet. 2:4). The penitent thief says to
Christ: Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Christ replies: This day shall
you be with me in paradise (Luke 23:4243). This implies that paradise is the same as Christs
kingdom; and Christs kingdom is not an infernal one. Christ cried with a loud voice, Father into
your hands I commend my spirit, and having said this, he gave up the ghost (23:46). The hands
of the Father, here meant, are in heaven above, not in sheol beneath. These teachings of
Scripture and their interpretation by a portion of the fathers evince that paradise is a section of

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

heaven, not of hades, and are irreconcilable with the doctrine of an underworld containing both the
good and the evil.
[]
The Scriptures teach that the intermediate state for the believer is one of blessedness. The
disembodied spirit of the penitent thief goes with the disembodied Redeemer directly into
paradise: Today shall you be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). Paradise has the following
marks:
1.
It is the third heaven: I knew a man caught up to the third heaven. He was caught up into
paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter (2 Cor. 12:2, 4);
to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the center of the paradise of
God (Rev. 2:7).
2.
It is Abrahams bosom: The beggar died and was carried by the angels into
Abrahams bosom (Luke 16:22); [] 24

As we have seen, the rich man in the parable of Jesus was in hades, being tormented,
and saw, on the other side of the abyss above him, Abrahams bosom (which is a synonym of
paradise and third heaven). In other words, the abyss was above the rich man, separating
hades from the third heaven (Abrahams bosom/Paradise). Likewise, when the penitent thief
died, he went to the third heaven (Paradise/third heaven) (2 Cor. 12:2, 4).
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:7-10 is quoted to teach that Jesus descended to hades or
hell between His death and resurrection: 7 But grace was given to each one of us according
to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says, When he ascended on high he led a host of
captives, and he gave gifts to men. 9 (In saying, He ascended, what does it mean but that
he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one
who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.).
Partial rapturists and/or dispensational punishment adherents affirm that Jesus, after
His death, descended to hades and/or Abrahams bosom (interpreted by them as being a
compartment in hell and in front of hades in which both are separated by an abyss) and
took/led (ascended) to the third heaven all the saved ones that died before the death of

24

SHEDD, William Greenough Thayer; GOMES, Alan W. Dogmatic Theology. 3rd ed. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R
Pub., 2003, p. 828858.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

Jesus. As we have seen earlier, it certainly was not in Abrahams bosom that Jesus
descended, for it is located above, that is, it is the third heaven.
Moreover, the text of Ephesians 4:7-10 is an adaption of Psalm 68:18 that says: You
ascend on high, you have taken many captives. You receive tribute from men, including even
sinful rebels. Indeed the LORD God lives there! This Psalm prophesizes what Jesus would do
in the future. The following text is a commentary by John Gill 25 on Psalm 68:18 in parts:
Thou hast ascended on high: [] he was seen to go up by angels and men; and, because of the
certainty of it, it is here expressed in the past tense, though it was then future.
thou hast led captivity captive: meaning either such who had been captives, in which sense the
word is used, Ps 126:1; and so may design either those who had been prisoners in the grave, but
were set free at Christ's resurrection, and went with him in triumph to heaven; or all his people,
whom he redeemed by his blood from that captivity and bondage they were in by nature; or rather
those who led them captive are here meant by "captivity"; such as sin, Satan, the world, death, and
every spiritual enemy, whom Christ conquered and triumphed over; the allusion may be to public
triumphs, when captives were led in chains, even kings and great men, that had captivated others:
the words seem to be borrowed out of Jud 5:12;
thou hast received gifts for men: the gifts of the Holy Spirit, qualifying men for the ministry of
the Gospel, as they are interpreted by the Apostle, Eph 4:11; these Christ received from his divine
Father in human nature, when he ascended up to heaven, in order to give them to men; and which
he did in a very extraordinary manner on the day of Pentecost. The Targum and Syriac version
render it, "thou hast given gifts to men"; and the Arabic version, "and he gave gifts to men", as the
apostle, Eph 4:8;
yea, [for] the rebellious also: disobedient and unbelieving, as all men are by nature, even God's
elect, before conversion, Tit 3:3; who are not only called by grace, and have the blessings of grace
bestowed upon them; but some of them have gifts given them, whereby they are fitted to preach
the Gospel to others, as Saul, the blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious; and some of those among
the Jews, that were concerned in the crucifixion of Christ: though some think the Gentiles are
intended, on whom the Holy Spirit was poured forth after our Lord's ascension; and so the Targum
interprets it of the rebellious, who become proselytes, and return by repentance;
that the Lord God might dwell [among them]: that is, that they, by the gifts and graces of the
Spirit bestowed on them, might become a fit habitation for God; or that "they", the rebellious,
being now partakers of the grace of God and his gifts, "might dwell [with] the Lord God" in his
churches; enjoy his divine presence, and have communion with him in his word and ordinances.

25

GILL, John. John Gills exposition of the entire Bible. Available at:
<http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/psalms-68-18.html>. Access on:
March 2015.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

John Gill continues on Ephesians 4:8:
Wherefore he saith,.... God in the Scripture, Ps 68:18
when he ascended up on high; [] being from Mount Olivet, attended by angels, in the sight of
his apostles, after he had conversed with them from the time of his resurrection forty days; and
which ascension of his was in order to fulfil the type of the high priest entering into the most holy
place; and to make intercession for his people, and to send down the Spirit with his gifts and
graces to them, and to make way and prepare mansions of glory for them, and receive the glory
promised and due to him: in the Hebrew text it is, "thou hast ascended"; there the psalmist speaks
to the Messiah, here the apostle speaks of him; though the Arabic and Ethiopic read there, "he
ascended", as here:
he led captivity captive; which is expressive of Christ's conquests and triumph over sin, Satan,
the world, death, and the grave; and indeed, every spiritual enemy of his and his people, especially
the devil, who leads men captive at his will, and is therefore called captivity, and his principalities
and powers, whom Christ has spoiled and triumphed over; the allusion is to the public triumphs of
the Romans, in which captives were led in chains, and exposed to open view:
and gave gifts unto men; meaning the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and particularly such as qualify
men for the work of the ministry; []

John Gill continues on Ephesians 4:9:

Now that he ascended,.... These words are a conclusion of Christ's descent from heaven, from his
ascension thither; for had he not first descended from thence, it could not have been said of him
that he ascended; for no man hath ascended to heaven but he that came down from heaven, Joh
3:13 and they are also an explanation of the sense of the psalmist in the above citation, which takes
in his humiliation as well as his exaltation; which humiliation is signified by his descent into the
earth:
what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [] for certain it
is, that the place where Abraham was with Lazarus in his bosom was not near to hell, but afar off,
and that there was a great gulf between them, Lu 16:23 and the spirits or souls of the patriarchs
returned to God that gave them, when separated from their bodies, as the souls of men do now, Ec
12:7 nor did Christ enter any such feigned place at his death, but went to paradise, where the
penitent thief was that day with him; nor were the patriarchs, but the principalities and powers
Christ spoiled, the captivity he led captive and triumphed over: some interpret this of Christ's
descent into hell []; but it may rather design the whole of his humiliation, as his descent from
heaven and incarnation in the virgin's womb, where his human nature was curiously wrought in
the lowest parts of the earth [Psalm 139:15]; and his humbling himself and becoming obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross, when he was made sin and a curse for his people, and bore
all the punishment due to their transgressions; []

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

Therefore, the lower parts of the earth phrase in Eph. 4:9 comes from Psalm 139:15 that
says: My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven
in the depths of the earth. As John Gill said, these depths or lower parts of the earth was
where Christ was intricately woven (in Marys womb). Thus, Crist descended to the earth and
was woven in the depths of earth (Marys womb). No one has ascended into heaven except he
who descended from heaven (John 3:13), that is, first Jesus descended from heaven to Marys
womb; the ascension comes after the descent of Jesus.
Besides that, verse 9 does not say that Jesus descended into the inner parts of the
earth nor to hades; the verse says that Jesus descended to the lower parts of the earth.
Perhaps this verse in Portuguese may not be sufficient to convince partial rapturists and/or
dispensational punishment adherents that such lower parts are on earth or refers to Marys
womb where Jesus was intricately woven, instead of in hades. Hence, the following are two
Bible versions in the English language on Eph. 4:9:

New English Translation: Now what is the meaning of he ascended, except that he
also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?

New International Version: What does "he ascended" mean except that he also
descended to the lower, earthly regions?

Therefore, ascended on high (Ef. 4:8) is the ascension of Christ from the earth to heaven
(third heaven/paradise/Abrahams bosom); No one has ascended into heaven except he who
descended from heaven (John 3:13). Thus, although the descent of Christ to the lower earthly
parts may mean the earth or Marys womb, where He was intricately woven, one thing is
certain: Jesus did not descend to capture, in order to take to heaven, no one in hades, since
Abrahams bosom is not located inside of hades or hell, given that it is a synonym of third
heaven and of paradise.
This text of Ephesians 4:9 may, by part of partial rapturists and/or dispensational
punishment adherents, be correlated to 1 Peter 3:18-20 to sustain that Jesus descended to
hell after His death. However, one thing is certain: Abrahams bosom is a synonym of paradise
and third heaven, and that Jesus said to the penitent thief that he would be with Him in
paradise. Consequently, 1 Peter 3:18-20 does not teach that Jesus descended to hades. For

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

an explanation of the Reformed position on such passage, see Descendit Ad Inferna: Uma
Anlise da Expresso Desceu Ao Hades no Cristianismo Histrico, by Heber Carlos de
Campos, on pages 13-16 of the PDF.26
Finally, Acts 2:25-28, specifically v. 27, is utilized to sustain that Jesus descended to
Hades. The following is a commentary of Simon Kistemaker: 27
c. Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One undergo
decay. Although David refers to himself in the first part of the verse (v. 27; Ps. 16:10), in the
second half he prophesies about the Messiah and his resurrection. David expresses his confidence
that the grave will not mark the end of his fellowship with God. He will continue to enjoy life in
the Lords presence. He repeats this thought in the next verse: You have made known to me the
paths of life (v. 28; Ps. 16:11).
Many versions transliterate the Greek term Hades. [E.g., NKJV, JB, RSV, NASB.] This is the
term for the Hebrew Sheol, which signifies pit or grave. In his sermon, Peter employs the
word Hades not in the sense of abode of the dead, but as the grave. Even in the grave God does
not abandon his own child but gives him assurance of the resurrection. The sentence, Nor will
you let your Holy One undergo decay, is Davids assurance of Gods affirmation.
Paul provides a logical analysis of Davids words and applies them to Christ. He says: For
David, after he served Gods purpose in his own generation, fell asleep. He was buried with his
fathers and underwent decay. But whom God raised from the dead did not undergo decay (13:36
37). Peters explanation of Davids remark is even more explicit (vv. 2932). He points to the
evidence of Davids tomb in Jerusalem, but Christs tomb is empty because God raised him from
the dead. And Peter himself can testify to this fact.

Conclusion
As was explained in the beginning of this article, Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost and
Charles Ryrie only dealt with the theory of partial rapture; I dealt with the sub-doctrine of partial
rapture, that is, dispensational punishment (Kingdom/Millennial Exclusion). Despite the fact
that these three authors are premillennial dispensationalists, I consider their analysis on partial
rapture to be useful and enlightening.
The New Testament (NT) does not distinguish between kingdom of God and kingdom
of the heavens expressions; the NT does not teach a partial rapture not a partial resurrection;
26

Article written in Portuguese. Available at:

<http://www.mackenzie.br/fileadmin/Mantenedora/CPAJ/revista/VOLUME_IV__1999__1/Heber.pdf>. Access on:
4 abril 2015. See D. Interpretao da Tradio Reformada beginning on page 13.
27
Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the
Apostles, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001). p. 96.

Nathan Caz; April 2015; translated from original Portuguese version

the reward is not the rapture of anyone, for the NT defines rewards as crowns and trophies;
the NT does not teach dispensational punishment (kingdom exclusion/millennial or millennium
exclusion), for God disciplines all His children here on the earthly life so that they may bear
fruits while there are alive on earth; the sons of the kingdom and the servants/slaves are not
saved Christians, carnal or not, but are the Jews, descendants of Abraham; the outer
darkness, as well as other similar designations, were created by God for the unbelievers, that
is, the non-saved; the great white throne and the white judgment seat of Christ/of God are
synonyms and both the saved and non-saved will be judged. In this judgment seat, the works,
good (genuine) and bad, will be tested by the fire and there will be rewards for the saved, who
will already be in the state of glorification, and degrees of punishment in hell for the non-saved,
including for the hypocrites and false servants and false prophets; Abrahams bosom, paradise
and third heaven are synonyms, and the abyss was above the rich man, separating hades
from the third heaven (Abrahams bosom/Paradise); Jesus did not descend to Abrahams
bosom because it is located above for being paradise and third heaven; Christ descended to
the earth, was intricately woven in the depths of the earth (or lower parts of the earth) that is
Marys womb; Jesus did not descend to hades.

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